Where Igo, Mego
by Solequin
Summary: Kim & Shego pairing [Kigo]. Team Go is threatened when someone from their past convinces one team member to rebel against the others. Kim and Shego must work together before great disaster strikes.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer:**__ Kim Possible, Shego, and all other characters from _Kim Possible_ belong to the Disney Company and are being used solely for fictional storytelling fun, not profit. All other characters (e.g., Igo, Officena, etc.), along with this story, are exclusive products of my imagination and are not to be used or reproduced without express permission. _

**Summary:** Team Go's genius cousin Igo pays a visit to the team and convinces Mego to try to take over as the team's leader. Little does Mego know that this is Igo's plan for revenge against the entire team. Shego must team up with Kim to stop Igo's plan to eliminate Team Go.

**Pairings:** Kim/Shego (Kigo)

**Spoilers:** References made to the episodes "Go Team Go" (Season 3) and "Stop Team Go" (Season 4); brief mentions of "Dimension Twist" (Season 3) and "The Mentor of Our Discontent" (Season 4). There is also a spoiler for "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith."

**Author's Note (A/N):** This is my first _Kim Possible_ fanfic—please don't be too hard. Constructive comments, questions and suggestions are most welcome and appreciated.

* * *

**Prologue**

"Go, Team Go!" a booming voice commanded, breaking the still air in the normally quiet Go Park. A rather tall and muscular blue-haired man called out to his teammates as he charged toward yet another nemesis vowing revenge against them. The strongman, Hego, attacked from the north while his twin brothers, Wego, each multiplied tenfold and darted in from the west and east. His third brother, Mego, wielding a staff, hurtled toward their foe from the south.

"You'll never catch me, Team Go!" declared their opponent, the villainous Officena, who took pleasure in using office supplies as weapons against her enemies. Cackling, the self-proclaimed "clerical mistress" did not seem to mind being surrounded—she took out two staplers and shot out rounds of sharp staples all around her.

"Ack! She _had_ to use half-inch staples, didn't she?" Mego lamented as he dodged staples left and right, eventually able to shrink to a size small enough to find safety inside a small hole in the dirt ground.

Continuing her onslaught, Officena hurled numerous 12-inch rulers at Hego like daggers, one of them managing to strike him squarely between the eyes and knocking him conscious.

"Hego!" the Wego twins cried. Angered, they rushed head-first toward Officena, only to run onto a pool of super-sticky glue poured from a seemingly bottomless bucket by the crafty criminal, bringing Wego and their duplicates to a standstill. "Hey!" they exclaimed, falling to the ground as they struggled to break free.

"Ha, ha, ha! Twenty for the price of one, what a deal!" Officena taunted. "Hmm," she said with a somewhat musical lilt to her voice, "there's someone missing here. Oh Meeego, where are you? You can't hide forever."

"This…is not good," the still-shrunken Mego said to himself, breathing heavily. "Come on, Mego, think of something. Come on, come on," he repeated, hoping that a strategy would come to mind quickly.

Officena, however, would not give the last standing member of Team Go much time to come up with a plan. "Perhaps a good bath in correction fluid will draw you out," she sneered. With that, she held another bucket and poured out a torrent of white correction fluid, threatening to drown the small hero. Panicking, Mego had no choice but to enlarge himself back to his normal size. No sooner did he grow back than Officena shot out streams of adhesive tape which wrapped tightly around Mego's body. "Oh, this is so not good," he said, unable to escape.

With the opportunity to get rid of Team Go, Officena took out a laser pointer, and with a sinister smile, aimed it at Mego. "The laser in this pointer can burn much more than the eyes. Trust me, you'll go down in a blaze of glory. Literally." Mego gulped as Officena prepared to fire. "Now I will finally get rid of you and your meddling family once and for all!" she said as she pressed the pointer button and fired. However, nothing came out of the pointer. Shocked by the pointer's failure at her first attempt, Officena pressed the button several more times, but to no avail. "What is this?!" Officena exclaimed. Initially startled as well, Mego regained his calm and, seizing this lucky break, grew in size, easily breaking free of the adhesive tape. Towering over Officena, Mego snatched the felon and wrapped his hand around her so tightly she could not move.

"Aagh!" Officena screeched. "My weapons never fail me! How could this be?"

Mego smirked and replied with sarcasm, "Dead batteries?"

Having regained consciousness, Hego freed the Wegos, and together they ran to where their brother and his captive. "Good job, Wego," Hego said then looked up at their nemesis. "Looks like you've been clipped, Officena," he remarked. "It's back to the cooler for you, and I don't mean the water cooler."

As was the routine, Mego and the Wego twins rolled their eyes and groaned at Hego's dreadful use of puns.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Back at Go Tower…**_

As Wego ran off to play video games, Hego and Mego sat back and relaxed in the mission control room. "I don't get it," Mego said. "Why _didn't_ Officena's laser work? It's not like she's a total slacker, especially with those gadget things of hers."

"Indeed," Hego agreed. "She is one of our most meticulous foes, and for her to neglect any of her weapons, be they for batteries or otherwise, is strange. I wonder…"

As Hego speculated on what could have caused the serendipitous "glitch" in their battle today, the Go communication screen beeped. "Look," Mego noted, pointing out the security screen showing the tower's front entrance. "Someone's paying us a visit."

Having heard the loud beeps, the curious Wego twins ran to meet their brothers in the control room. "Who is it?" they asked in unison.

Furrowing his brow in apprehension, Hego warned, "Be prepared, brothers. This could be a scheme by another one of our foes."

"Yeeeah, just answer the call, big guy," an impatient Mego responded.

Hego pressed a button to open the communication line, and to everyone's shock, the person on the other side was not one of their enemies. In fact, it was someone they hadn't seen in more than a decade. Someone they had never expected would voluntarily come and visit them…

"Igo?" Team Go spoke simultaneously.

"Hey, boys, long time no see" said the woman on the screen. She was amused to see the stunned look on the men's faces, their mouths agape. "Planning on letting me in sometime this decade?" she teased, snapping the team back to reality.

Moments later, the four heroes of Team Go were face to face with a ghost from their past. Though it had been many years since they last saw Igo, her appearance had not changed too drastically, from her long and curly flaming orange hair to her pale orange skin. Her cheeks still revealed the tiny freckles she had the last time they saw her—when she was only fifteen—though they seemed to have faded a bit since then. Still in shock, the team could not believe their cousin would return after all this time. After all, she was the one who left them with sour apples not long after—that fateful day…

"You're hair's grown," Mego meekly started, clumsily breaking the thick blanket of silence that had filled the room for several minutes.

Igo grinned at her usually overconfident cousin. "I do like it long, but with the hot weather, it may be time to get a haircut."

"Enough with the small talk, Igo. Why are you here?" Hego demanded suspiciously.

"Always were the one to get down to business, eh, coz?" she smirked.

"I doubt you'd come all the way here, after all these years, just to catch up on old times, Igo. That doesn't seem much like you," Hego maintained.

Igo smiled, "On point, as usual, Hego. I did come here to take care of some business."

"And what business is that?" Hego asked pointedly.

With a serious expression on her face, Igo simply replied, "To bring Team Go back to greatness."


	2. The Return of Igo

_**Disclaimer:**__ Kim Possible, Shego, and all other characters from _Kim Possible_ belong to the Disney Company and are being used solely for fictional storytelling fun, not profit. All other characters (e.g., Igo, Officena, etc.), along with this story, are exclusive products of my imagination and are not to be used or reproduced without express permission. _

**Pairings:** Kim/Shego (Kigo)

**Spoilers:** Listed in the Prologue.

**Author's Note (A/N):** This is my first _Kim Possible_ fanfic—please don't be too hard. Constructive comments, questions and suggestions are most welcome and appreciated.

* * *

**The Return of Igo**

Dr. Drakken, self-proclaimed "evil genius," scampered around in his lair, searching for something of apparently great value.

"Shego! I can't find the can opener! Shego?"

Filing the claws on her gloves, the green woman lazily reclining in a chair nearby—with legs perched atop the large table in front of her—glanced up and replied tepidly, "Your what?"

"My can opener! You know, that thing that opens cans? A can opener?"

"Yeah, okay, thanks for the 411 on kitchenware, Dr. D.," Shego said sarcastically with a roll of the eyes.

"Sheeego, I neeeed it!" Drakken whined, shoving a can into Shego's view. "I can't have my pork and beans without it!"

"Mmm, nutritious," Shego mocked with a grimace.

"Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it!" Drakken protested.

"Whatever," Shego retorted, rolling her eyes yet again. _I swear, he could give my brothers a run for their money in the immaturity department,_ she thought with a sigh. "Gimme that," she said impatiently as she swiftly snatched the can from Drakken's hand. With ease, she bore her sharp claws into the top of the can, ripped the lid off, and thrust the can back at Drakken. "Bon appétit," she said flatly as her boss hungrily grabbed the open can, parked himself at the table, and took in the aroma of the pork and beans with delight.

As Drakken scarfed down his food, Shego went back to filing her claws, more as a distraction from her nauseous reaction to the scientist's atrocious eating habits. While the blue-skinned villain was completely oblivious to everything around him, it was Shego's nature to be aware of everything at all times, including the low droning sound of the television at the rear of the lair. Her head suddenly perked up as she heard the vague sound of the name "Igo" coming from the TV. The green warrior immediately stood up and headed toward the source, a news segment on Team Go's latest heroic exploit. Mary Ann Nozee, a field correspondent reporting live from Go City, appeared on the screen with further details on her brothers and the newest addition to the team:

"_Susan, this is an incredible story. Team Go once again has foiled Mathter and another of his calculating evil plots…"_

Shego groaned at the reporter's lame attempt at humor.

"…_but while that is a fantastic feat in and of itself, the most extraordinary development is the addition of the team's newest member, Igo. I have Team Go here with me right now. Igo, could you tell me where you're from and what your actual superpowers are, if you have any at all?"_

"Igo," Shego spat in disgust. Her eyes narrowed as the camera shifted to the reporter's left, where Igo stood with a wide, toothy smile on her face (_Could she be any faker? _Shego thought). The rest of the team situated themselves behind their instantly famous cousin.

"_Sure, Mary Ann. I'm Team Go's cousin, and I have the power of telekinesis, or the ability to move objects using only my mind. I'm excited to have reconnected with my family after so many years living away from Go City. I arrived here from Upperton after I realized how much I wanted to use my skills to help my family continue to do the good deeds that have made their names synonymous with integrity and heroism."_

Shego scoffed at the sugary tripe she was hearing. _Gag me,_ she thought as Mary Ann turned to address the rest of the team.

"_Great story! Mego, how have you and your brothers been able to adjust with a new member on the team?"_

As Mego opened his mouth to answer, Hego interrupted the interview.

"_Please pardon my interruption, Mego. Ms. Nozee, Igo is a highly valued member of this team, and my brothers and I are thrilled to have her and her talents on board in the fight for truth and justice."_

Shego noticed Mego's rather conspicuous look of irritation at Hego's interjection. _What else is new,_ she thought as Hego spoke on:

"_You'll have to excuse us, Ms. Nozee, but as you can imagine, after such a daunting battle with our nemesis Mathter, our team is in need of rest. So I'm afraid we must bid you and the citizens of Go City adieu."_

"_Of course. But the people of Go City would like to thank you, Team Go, for all the work you have done in protecting us. And Igo, thank you for granting us this exclusive interview."_

"_Anytime, Mary Ann."_

Igo answered with yet another broad smile and shook the reporter's hand. With that, she and the rest of the team dashed off. Mary Ann Nozee seemed positively awestruck by the presence of the heroes:

"_These heroes are truly remarkable, Susan. Go City seems to be in even more capable hands with Igo on the Go Team, if that is even possible. All I can say is: bad guys, look out, Team Go is in full force and are ready to fight for good. Back to you, Susan."_

Shego felt sick at the reporter's schmaltzy adoration of the new Team Go. "Ugh!" she yelled and threw a green plasma blast at the TV set, instantly obliterating it.

"Aagh, Shego!" Dr. Drakken cried, scurrying to inspect the television with his can of pork and beans still in hand. The machine was, as expected, beyond repair. "That's the third TV in two months you've destroyed! Those things aren't cheap, you know!" Drakken fiddled with the wires on the TV, only for the box to collapse into a heaping mess.

Shego turned and coolly walked away from the TV. "It's time for an upgrade," she responded.

"Who is this Igo person, anyway?" Drakken asked in annoyance as he shoveled another spoonful of pork and beans into his mouth.

"My cousin," the woman replied tersely. "The less said about her, the better."

"Oh, I get it," Drakken teased, "she always took the bigger piece when you went halfsies on a cookie, didn't she?" "Or wait," he laughed, "she probably stole your Cuddle Buddies when you were just a wittle gurl!" He wasn't laughing anymore when Shego suddenly shot a burst of plasma straight at his can of food, causing it to explode all over him.

"Care to add anything else?" the green woman snarled at her very nervous boss, his knees very visibly shaking.

"Uh, no, I'm good," he peeped. Out of fear that the smallest movement would set his sidekick off, Drakken remained motionless, his spoon still in hand and parallel with a mouth that now hanged wide open.

* * *

_****_

The Possible Home… 

"So, what movie is it gonna be: _Terminator 2_, _Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith_, or _The Bourne Identity_?" Ron Stoppable asked the redhead sitting next to him on the living room couch. Tonight was Movie Night, and while it was his turn to pick the movie, the young man was still undecided and flipped between a few DVD cases.

"Um, how about _Fried Green Tomatoes_?" Kim Possible sweetly asked her boyfriend.

"Hey, no 'chick flicks' tonight!" Ron replied anxiously. "We already saw _Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood_ last week, and my parents are still wondering why I'm having 'mother issues.' And I _still_ don't get what a 'Ya-Ya Sisterhood' is—KP, 'Ya-Ya''s not even a word! And furthermore…"

"Whoa, chill Ron," Kim held her hands up and laughed. "We'll watch an action movie. I think you could use a boost of the 'macho' factor."

Ron breathed a heavy sigh of relief, "Yes, exactly. Thanks." He smiled at Kim and laid a hand on top of hers.

"What are girlfriends for?" she said, laying her hand on top of his and squeezing it gently. The girl appraised the DVDs and made a decision: "I think I'll go with _Star Wars_."

"Because of the looove story, I take it?" Ron asked pointedly, with an arch of the eyebrow.

"Well, yes," Kim replied somewhat bashfully. "It's tragic, really. I mean, to see someone become a total monster just to save the woman he loves—it's all so sad," she added, staring blankly at the newscast airing on the TV set in front of them. The teenager snapped out of her brief trance just in time to catch the anchorwoman introducing a segment on her friends Team Go: _"Let's go to Mary Ann Nozee for more on Team Go's exciting new addition…"_

"Hey, look, Team Go's on the air!" Ron said excitedly. "Wait, new addition…?"

They watched as the news camera rested on Team Go and their newest member, Igo. "Who's that?" Ron asked curiously.

Kim shushed Ron as she listened intently to the news report. She stroked her chin thoughtfully as Mary Ann Nozee interviewed Igo and her cousins.

As the segment ended, Kim almost fell off the couch as Ron's voice shocked her out of her thoughtfulness. "Will you look at that!" he exclaimed. "Looks like Shego's been replaced."

"Looks like it," Kim said, with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"Uh oh," Ron observed, "I know that voice. That's the 'this seems too good to be true, which means something bad's going to happen' voice."

"I know, I know, I should be happy for them, and I am," Kim started, "but I just can't help but feel that something's…off about this."

"Come on, KP, she's helping the team, and they're doing a lot of good—how bad can she be?" Ron replied.

"I guess you're right," she said, though she wasn't totally convinced.

"Besides," he added, "if Igo's anything like Shego was when she was on the team, she can only make the team better, which has got to be a blow to Shego's, um, ego."

Ron's last remark bothered Kim: if her arch-enemy indeed was bothered by Igo's arrival, then chances are that things would be going down, and not in a good way—for her, Shego, Igo, or the rest of Team Go. And if Kim herself was as bothered as Shego about this circumstance, then what does that say about Kim's judgment of character, not to mention Shego's?

Kim was startled out of her musings by an arm outstretched around her shoulders. "Sooo, what do I have to do to get a little lovin'?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

The young heroine looked at her boyfriend and, amused, quickly pecked him on the cheek. "Just be yourself," she replied with a smile.

Ron blushed. "I can do that," he said.

The sound of the microwave in the kitchen beeping resonated through the living room. "Popcorn's done. Be back in a minute," Kim smiled warmly as she promptly stood up and headed toward the kitchen. It took longer than a minute to prepare the food, however, as a distracted Kim lingered in the kitchen longer than expected—as hard as she tried, she just couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Igo was trouble.


	3. A Hero's Crossroad

_**Disclaimer:**__ Kim Possible, Shego, and all other existing characters from _Kim Possible_ belong to the Disney Company and are being used solely for fictional storytelling fun, not profit. All other characters (e.g., Igo, Officena, etc.), along with this story, are exclusive products of my imagination and are not to be used or reproduced without express permission. _

**Chapter Summary:** Dissension between members of the new Team Go is brewing, but their quarrels are interrupted by a call to battle one of their foes following an unexpected prison escape. Shego aims to prove Igo is not all she seems, then decides to pay her family a visit—but Team Possible is on her trail.

**Pairings:** Kim/Shego (Kigo)

**Spoilers:** Listed in the Prologue.

**A/N:** Many thanks to "acosta perez jose ramiro" for the nice review, and to all of you who took the time to read this story so far. For convenience, chapter summaries will be provided from this point onward. As always, constructive comments, questions and suggestions are most welcome and appreciated.

* * *

**A Hero's Crossroad**

Just over two weeks since Officena's capture, things between Mego and Hego had only grown tenser. Nowadays, Mego barely said more than a terse greeting to Hego unless they were on a mission together. In their present situation, Mego knew that either they had to reconcile their differences, or one of them would have to take a break away from the group. And with things going the way they were, the former option seemed less likely with each passing day. Going through his usual exercises in Go Tower's training room, a frustrated Mego reflected on the events that followed Officena's arrest:

"_What was that about?" a very aggravated Mego asked Hego in the mission control room, minutes after Team Go returned to headquarters from their battle with Officena. The other members were stunned into silence at Mego's unexpected outburst._

"_Um," was all the nervous Hego managed to say._

_Seeing the strongman begin to fidget was all the cue Igo needed to leave the two men alone. "I think you two need some alone time." She then turned to the Wego twins: "Hey, guys, wanna grab a bite to eat?"_

"_Do we!" the twins responded in unison, their grumbling stomachs instantly taking their minds off the awkward situation in front of them._

_One of the twins __began, "Can we go to…"_

"…_Bueno Nacho?" the other twin finished._

"_Sure," Igo said with a smile. She briefly turned her head in Mego and Hego's direction with a look of concern, but then turned back and guided the younger teens out of the room._

_Certain they were alone, Hego began: "What was all _what_ about?"_

"_Don't play dumb, Hego! Though, knowing you, I'm not sure if you are," Mego retorted with an unpleasant smirk._

_While hurt by Mego's callous remarks, Hego was determined to get to the bottom of his brother's attitude problem. "Spit it out, Mego."_

_Mego's smirk disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "The reporter was interviewing _me_, and_ you_ just had to go and steal the spotlight—again!"_

"_I did no such thing," Hego rebutted as calmly as he could. "We were all tired, and we needed to rest. You of all people should understand that."_

"_And you couldn't wait two minutes 'til the interview was over?"_

_Hego had no response, so Mego went on. "It's not just this time," he added, "you always have to get the last word in, even if it means cutting in on your own brother's time!"_

"_Mego…" _

"_Uh-uh, not this time, bro. I'm having my say now," Mego interrupted. "I've put up with you being the team leader. I've put up with all your self-righteous lectures and incredibly dull, not to mention incessant, babbling. I've even put up with picking up the wet towels you leave in the bathroom after you take a shower every…single…morning."_

_Hego clenched his jaw in indignation but stood still and continued to say nothing._

"_This…this was the last straw, Hego," Mego said with finality. "I'm tired of you not giving me the respect I deserve. I may not be 'Mr. Super-Strong-I-Eat-and-Sleep-for-Truth-and-Justice,' but I give just as much, if not more, for this team. If it weren't for me, Officena would have toasted you and Wego today."_

"_Now wait just a minute, Mego," Hego interrupted, pointing a finger at his brother—he had had enough of Mego's rant. "I'm sorry if you think I've offended you—you must know that was never my intention. But don't even say that I don't give as much as you or anyone else for Team Go. I'm well aware that you saved me and Wego from Officena, and we are all thankful that you thought as quickly as you did. But that is our job, to protect innocent lives and each other. We're all equals here, Mego—no member is better or worse than the others."_

"_You're wrong, Hego. If we were equals, there'd be no leader on this team. You're the leader, and, _ipso facto_, if any of us goes against your_ wishes_," Mego mocked, daintily waving his hands back and forth, "then we'd be 'breaking the rules,' even if a monkey could see how completely off the mark you were."_

_Hego's fists closed so tightly he could feel his knuckles go white. But as tempted as he was to do otherwise, he kept his arms down by his sides. "You should leave this room right now, Mego, before I do something we'll both regret."_

_Mego sauntered forward until his nose was mere inches apart from Hego's. "Go ahead, big guy, I dare you." He could see the anger in Hego's eyes and heavy breathing, and the larger man was straining hard to remain completely still. "That's the problem with you, Hego: if you weren't so weak, we wouldn't have been in the rut we were in after Shego left and before Igo came in; and we'd have captured a lot more bad guys—not just in Go City, but everywhere else." He curled his lips upward into a nasty grin then turned and left the room. _

_As Mego walked farther away, he heard a loud crash and scream coming from inside the control room. Mego stopped, turned his head in the direction of the noise for a moment, then faced forward and continued walking. "This round's mine, big guy," he said, smiling to himself contentedly._

Mego stopped for a minute to catch his breath after working out practically non-stop for the past hour. He paced around the training room, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. _What's going on with me?_ he thought. _Why did I go bonkers over Hego just being the big oaf he is? He's always been like that, even when we were kids! I mean, I _so_ could be a better leader for the team, but it's not like he's done a horrible job._ Mego was roused from his thoughts by the sound of advancing footsteps behind him.

"Need a drink?" Igo approached her cousin holding a glass of water.

"Thanks, coz," a tired and sweaty Mego said, gratefully accepted the proffered glass, and took a long drink.

"You look a little worse for wear," Igo joked with a smile.

"Yeah, well, I've had a lot on my mind lately, so I'm giving myself a pass on my less-than-flawless appearance," the purple hero said with a grim expression, wiping excess water and sweat from his face with his arm.

"Hego?"

"And first prize goes to the lady for stating the obvious," Mego sneered.

"Give me a break, Mego. I'm only trying to help. If you don't want my help, that's fine with me," Igo reproached.

"Sorry," Mego said guiltily. "I'm just having a problem wrapping my head around what happened with Hego, because I gotta tell you, it still feels like that whole blowup we had was a dream."

"Oh, no," Igo replied, "from what I heard from the both of you, it was very, _very_ real."

"Can he _be_ any more of a pain? I mean, yeah, he's my brother, and he helps others all the time, and he's a boy scout, blah, blah, all that good stuff," Mego said half-mockingly. "But the way he leads the team—Igo, if you had been here before…"

"Actually, I kind of see what you mean, even though I haven't been here that long," Igo said.

"You do?" Mego asked in astonishment.

"I'm observant that way," Igo said with a grin. "Do you want my opinion?" she continued.

"O-kay," Mego said, uncertain whether his cousin's views of him would be positive or not.

"First of all, do you know that you're my favorite cousin?" Igo said.

Mego couldn't help but be surprised at that declaration. "I didn't know you even liked any of us, considering what happened…"

"Hey, we were kids back then, and kids will be kids. It's all in the past, coz. No hard feelings," Igo said reassuringly, placing her hand gently on Mego's shoulder. "You and I are the same in a lot of ways—we want to help others, but we never forget to look out for ourselves, too. Like they say, 'he who fights and runs away,' right?"

"Yeah," Mego said with relief that he wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Second, I have to say, even if you weren't my favorite cousin, I think you'd be a stronger leader for Team Go," the orange hero added.

"Really?—ahem, I mean, of course I would," Mego took on a confident air, though his tone showed signs of self-doubt.

"Of course you would," Igo agreed, at the same time sensing Mego's uncertainty. "Hego's an honorable and honest man, and a great hero. But sometimes his absolute sense of integrity can hurt him, and you, more than help."

Mego looked at his cousin with a puzzled expression. "How?"

"Think about it, Mego. When you've been in battle, have there ever been times when Hego's plan would stop a villain but put you all at risk?"

"Of course there were!" Mego scoffed, believing the answer was obvious.

"But during those times, did you ever think of another way to stop the enemy _and_ at the same time lessen the risk to you?"

"Well, yeah," the young man conceded.

"And did you mention your ideas to Hego?"

"Well…yeah." Mego had a feeling he knew where Igo was going with this discussion.

"And did he listen to you?"

"Well, no," her cousin acknowledged with resignation.

"Why not?"

Mego needed a few seconds to think of an answer. Then, out of the blue, realization dawned on his face. "He thought _his_ way was the best way to go. He didn't care what anyone else thought, no matter who got hurt. He never listened because all he wants is _control_."

"Do you think he respects you, Mego? Or anyone else, for that matter?" Igo urged her cousin and teammate.

Mego's eyes narrowed in fury. At that instant, Hego peered in through the training room entrance and caught sight of his brother and cousin, evidently in the midst of a conversation. Mego and Igo stopped and looked directly at Hego, their stares at once unnerving him.

Regaining his composure, the team's leader looked at his teammates with a stone-faced expression. "I just got a call from the mayor. There's a situation at Go City Bank," he announced. A long and awkward silence followed.

"Who is it?" Igo said, breaking through the thick blanket of tension that engulfed the room.

"Someone who should be in prison right now: Officena," Hego answered, curiously studying the two people in front of him.

Mego creased his brow. "Let's go," he directed curtly to his teammates. The size-shifter walked toward the training room's entryway, slid swiftly past Hego without looking at him, and left.

Baffled, Hego glanced in Mego's direction then looked at Igo for answers, only to see his cousin shrug her shoulders. All Hego could do was look back in the direction his brother headed, away from the training room—and from him.

* * *

_**  
Dr. Drakken's "Secret" Lair…**_

Sitting at the lair's computer, Shego rapidly typed on the keyboard at a relentless pace. Closely studying the giant screen in front of her, she muttered to herself: "Nothing—what a surprise. Greeaat, she's just as perfect as Kim Possible—I never thought _that_ was possible." Putting her head in her hands, Shego was losing patience. "Ugh! There's got to be something…"

Behind her, the sounds of metal banging against metal mixed with the insidious cackle of a scheming blue villain echoed throughout the hideout. With dramatic flare, Dr. Drakken declared, "Shego—_this_ is the ultimate plan of ultimate plans! I have concocted—ouch!—a scheme to build a device that will go down in history—ack!—as the most devastating machine of all time—now, where does this screw go again?"

"Whatever you say, Dr. D.," Shego hollered toward the back, though her eyes remained fixed on the computer screen. _It'll go down in history all right—like the Titanic._

"I mean it, Shego! My creation will revolutionize the meaning of the word 'evil.' The world will finally fall at my knees!" Drakken carried on.

"Sure thing, Dr. D.," she answered back—without irony, to Drakken's amazement.

Astonished that his normally irritable sidekick hadn't capitalized on her chance to make a snarky retort, Drakken stopped his tinkering and sidled toward where Shego sat. "What, no snappy comeback, Shego? I must say, I'm both delightfully surprised and strangely disturbed by your, shall we say, _not totally unpleasant_ attitude? You weren't zapped by the Attitudinator again, were you?" he asked half-jokingly.

Shego rolled her eyes at her boss's annoying presence and excruciatingly grating voice. _Drakken must have taken a couple pages out of Frugal Lucre's book on how to annoy EVERYONE on the planet, _she thought. However, she said nothing and continued to enter information into the system.

"Hel-lo, Earth to Shego!" Drakken called out, haphazardly waving his arms out in front of the menacing henchwoman. "Mad scientist talking here!"

"Quit it, already!" the incredibly annoyed Shego abruptly stood up and yelled at the man, who, even now, was covered in grease and still wearing his work goggles. The ferocity in her scowl made him cringe in fear.

"Oops. Heh, my bad," the panicky scientist said weakly. _So much for the ­"not totally unpleasant" part, _he thought.

"Ugh!" Shego growled exasperatedly. Settling down, she sank back into her seat and resumed typing.

Drakken immediately forgot his fears when he looked up at the computer screen and saw a profile of Shego's cousin Igo displayed, complete with background information and recent photos of the newest Team Go member. "Igo, eh? Jumping on the bandwagon there, Shego?"

Keeping a straight face, Shego raised a plasma-lit hand in Drakken's direction. "Kidding! Kidding!" he said, contritely holding his hands up. "What's with the research, anyway?"

"Trying to find some dirt on my dear cousin," she replied, the vitriol evident in her voice. "But I've checked every database, and I can't even find a speck of dust."

"So she's a goody-goody, like that infernal Kim—Possible—and _every other_ hero on the planet. Big whoop," the scientist whined.

Shego narrowed her eyes and focused on the computer screen—while her search wasn't successful, she refused to concede to the notion that Igo was as innocent as she made herself out to be. _I know Igo, and she's no Kimmie. She's got something up her sleeve, I can feel it. I have to get to her and find out what it is; and I need to do it fast, before she springs something on me and those dopey brothers of mine. Wait, what did I just say?_

The green warrior shook her head forcefully to snap herself out of her temporary lapse in judgment. _Why should I care about them, anyway?_ she thought. _So what if they're my brothers? They're big boys now—they can take care of themselves._ Shego was resolute—_I'm _not_ going soft, not for those goofballs._

An image on the screen suddenly caught Shego's attention: video surveillance footage of the "new" Team Go running toward the premises of Go City Bank, seemingly on another mission.

_Well, what do we have here? It looks like they're off to save the day again—boooring._

_Who is it this time? Aviarius?_ _Electronique?_ she wondered. _Not that I care, of course. _At that moment, a familiar figure appearing in front of the bank's doors took Shego aback. _Officena?_ Shego thought. _How did she get out of the slammer so soon? She's slippery, but no way is she clever enough to get out on her own…_

"I tell you, Shego, my latest scheme is totally off the heezy!" Drakken proclaimed as he turned his away from the computer and looked upward, his attention apparently directed to the heavens. He stopped abruptly as he watched a determined Shego immediately stand up and briskly run toward the lair's exit. "Where are you going?" Drakken asked, wondering what would make Shego want to miss one of his "incredibly stupendous" rundowns on a sinister plan.

"I'm taking the rest of the day off," the green woman answered as she approached the doorway leading out. "I have a family reunion to attend."

* * *

_**  
Bueno Nacho…**_

Sitting across a table from Ron at their usual fast-food hangout, Kim watched as her boyfriend and his pet naked mole rat, Rufus, eagerly devoured their Nacos. Nibbling at her Chimurito, she couldn't help but think about her friends' roles as sidekicks and hers as "the girl who can do anything." _It must be nice to not have the problems of the world on your shoulders all the time,_ she mused with a somewhat sad smile on her face. It was a thought she had on occasion but managed to push aside successfully. Lately, though, she seemed to dwell on it more often than she was comfortable with, on account of the recent spate of run-ins with several of her archenemies—notably Dr. Drakken and Shego. And what worried her more was that she had an increasingly harder time dispelling this thought from her mind.

Ron looked up from his food, his mouth stuffed with what must have amounted to at least half of his second Naco. Only then did he notice Kim's gloomy expression. "Mmph! KP, mmph, what's wrong?" he asked while making a great effort to chew his food without spewing it out.

"Oh, sorry, Ron, I was just thinking," she said.

"That's the problem with you, Kim, you think too much," Ron pointed out after finally managing to swallow his food. "Doesn't she, Rufus?"

"Mm-hm, mm-hm!" Rufus looked between his two friends and immediately agreed while finishing his Naco.

"I know, I can't help it sometimes. Forgive me?" she asked her boyfriend and his pet sweetly, batting her eyelashes for good measure.

Ron gave her an affectionate smile. "Sure, what are boyfriends for?"

"Ahem," a slighted Rufus said with arms folded.

"Oh, and naked mole rat friends! Sorry, buddy," Ron told his friend sheepishly and held his hand out for Rufus to jump on.

"Mmm, no problem!" Rufus said enthusiastically and hopped onto his owner's hand. Turning to Kim, the mole rat nodded with a grin, giving her a thumbs-up.

Kim smiled back, not believing her good fortune in having someone as kind as Ron—and a naked mole rat as loyal as Rufus—in her life.

"So what were you thinking about?" Ron asked while petting Rufus on the head.

"It's just that looking at you two, and you just seem so…stress-free, and, I guess, sometimes I wish I could be like that. I've pretty much forgotten what it's like not worrying about where the next big heist is or where some major baddie is going to turn up," Kim said.

"Kim, I don't _not_ worry," Ron said. "You know I always worry about you when we're on a mission."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh!" Rufus looked at Kim and nodded excitedly before Ron placed Team Possible's smallest member in his pocket.

"Yeah," Kim replied with a warm smile at the touching remark.

"I guess I figured that since you were…you…we'd always be okay in the end. I mean, you can do anything, right?" Ron asked slightly nervously.

"That's what I hear," Kim replied with feigned brightness, hoping to ease Ron's anxiety. In reality, though, she wasn't all that convinced that she could do anything all the time, and it bothered her.

"And I'm the sidekick, and I always got your back—that's what I do," Ron added.

"Thanks, Ron," Kim said gratefully.

"Oh yeah, the Ron-man is on a roll," Ron declared lightheartedly, moving his arms in a circular motion as he began to dance the Cabbage Patch.

Kim laughed at her best friend's enthusiasm. "Yeah, that's you—on a roll and mastering dances that are older than we are."

But a lingering afterthought troubled the teen fighter: _I can always rely on Ron to be there for me. But can I really call him my protector? I've rescued him more times than I can count, which is totally no big. But if he counts on me to save him and the world, who can I count on to save me?_

The redhead's train of thought was broken up by the melodic beep of her Kimmunicator. "Hey Wade, what's the sitch?" Kim greeted her brilliant friend Wade on-screen.

"Kim, Shego's been spotted heading toward Go City Bank," the tech-savvy youngster replied urgently.

"Go City Bank?" Kim said. _I thought Shego would have more sense and, frankly, more creativity than robbing a bank in Go City,_ she thought. "Why would she try to rob the bank in Go City with her brothers there?" Kim asked further.

"That's the thing, Kim, they're already there," Wade said.

"I don't understand," a confused Kim said.

"They're at the bank, and it's not Shego they're going up against," the young prodigy responded.

"So who _are_ they up against?"

"Officena."

"Hmm, Officena—that name sounds familiar. Hey, didn't Team Go just put her in prison, like, a couple of weeks ago?" Ron chimed in.

"They did, but somehow she escaped from the Go City Penitentiary last night; and, get this, no one noticed she was gone until the roll call this morning," Wade answered.

"How did she get out?" Kim asked.

"I'm still looking into that. I'll get back to you when I find anything," Wade said.

"Please and thank you!" Kim said with her trademark exuberance.

"Wow…Go City, of all places," Ron remarked as Kim ended her communication with Wade. "Do you think Shego's working with Officena?" he asked.

"Don't know," the teen heroine replied with a serious expression. "But whatever she's got in mind, it can't be good."


	4. Many Happy Reunions

_**Disclaimer:**__ Kim Possible, Shego, and all other existing characters from _Kim Possible_ belong to the Disney Company and are being used solely for fictional storytelling fun, not profit. All other characters (e.g., Igo, Officena, etc.), along with this story, are exclusive products of my imagination and are not to be used or reproduced without express permission. _

**Chapter Summary:** A confrontation with Officena causes more complications for Team Go than expected. Shego comes face-to-face with the cousin she despises as Kim drops in on the family fun. Someone has a personal vendetta against Team Go, and the culprit just might be closer than they think.

**Pairings:** Kim/Shego (Kigo)

**Spoilers:** Listed in the Prologue. For classic movie fans, there is also a fleeting but famous reference to the film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in writing this chapter—with any luck, the next one won't take as long to write. Also, please forgive the length of this chapter—the action sequences and story development hopefully will compensate for the excess wordage. Thanks very much to "acosta perez jose Ramiro," "fanfictionfan123," and "Thoughts13" for the encouraging reviews. And, of course, many thanks to everyone who has been reading so far. As always, constructive comments, questions and suggestions are most welcome and appreciated.

* * *

**Many Happy Reunions**

"We meet again, Team Go!" Officena laughed maniacally as she stood in front of Go City Bank.

"I don't know how you escaped, Officena, but I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you," Hego said.

"Ha, ha, catch me if you can, heroes!" the villainess taunted. She looked straight at Igo. "And you must be Igo—I've heard so much about you. I'd say it's an honor, but I'd be lying," she sneered.

"I can't say it's a pleasure to meet you, either," Igo answered back.

"Well, let me personally welcome you to this little city," she said as she hurled CDs at the orange hero. Igo grunted as she flipped back and forth, left and right, to avoid being hit by the razor-sharp discs.

"Igo!" Mego called out worriedly.

Noticing his distraction, the ruthless Clerical Mistress took out her laser pointer, aimed it at Mego, and fired.

Mego screamed out as he felt a searing pain in his shoulder that quickly spread throughout his arm. Falling to the ground, the hero groaned as he clutched his wounded arm.

"Mego!" Hego shouted.

"Well, will you look at that! Looks like it works this time!" Officena boasted triumphantly, holding up her laser pointer.

Suddenly, a large trash bin flew through the air and knocked the villainess off her feet— and the laser pointer out of her hand. Igo advanced on her enemy with an angry glare on her face. She followed up on her first attack by mentally propelling two bus benches in Officena's direction like missiles.

"Aagh!" the evil woman shrieked as she ducked, barely out of the projectiles' trajectory.

As all this happened, Mego fought through his pain and dragged himself toward where the laser pointer lay.

"Wego, now!" Hego commanded. Each of the twins then multiplied tenfold and stacked themselves, one on top of another, to form two towers, each ten Wegos high. "Hold tight!" every Wego said to the one above him.

"Igo, do it!" the team leader directed once again. At his order, Igo used her mental strength to lift the two human towers off the ground and turn them horizontal.

"What the…?" Officena did not finish her question as the two towers were swung simultaneously like baseball bats.

The villainess was sent flying as the Wego towers knocked the wind out of her. She was flung against the bank's doors forcefully and landed on the doorstep with a loud thump. The Wego twins' duplicates disappeared, and the young teens landed safely on the ground. "Score!" the twins said in unison and gave each other a high-five.

"Now, to bring you to justice," Hego said as he walked toward the semiconscious heap that was Officena.

At that instant, a laser beam burst out past Hego, narrowly missing his head by inches. "What…?!" the stunned hero exclaimed, looking for the source of the blast. His eyes went wide they rested on the culprit. "Mego?" the strongman asked uncertainly.

Mego, still lying on the ground, was speechless—his hand shook, but the laser pointer remained in his grip. _What…just…happened?_ he fretted. He stared at Hego dumbfounded, his eyes just as wide as his brother's.

At that moment, Shego flipped onto the scene and landed just to the side of Wego as they ran to check on their brothers. The four brothers turned their heads and stared at Shego in complete surprise, momentarily forgetting about Officena.

"Shego?" the bewildered Wego twins asked in unison. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, twerps—taking a long recess?" their sister teased.

"You didn't answer their question, sis—why are you here?" Hego inquired, arching one eyebrow.

"I'd like to know that myself," Igo joined in as she approached her cousins.

Shego turned in Igo's direction and gave her an ominous glare. "Hello, Igo," she snarled.

"Well, hello there, Shego," Igo greeted with a saccharine smile on her face. "It's been so long. How have you been?"

"Better than you'll be in a few seconds," the green woman warned.

During this exchange, Mego turned his head in the direction of the bank and started to panic. "Uh, guys…"

"Are you threatening our cousin?" a puzzled Hego demanded.

"So what if I am?" Shego shot back.

Grimacing from the pain in his shoulder, Mego tried again to get his family's attention: "Guys?"

"You've only seen me for five minutes, Shego. What did I do to make you so angry?" Igo asked innocently.

"Yeah, Shego, what did she do?" Wego asked at the same time.

"GUYS!" Mego yelled at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT?" his family turned in his direction and yelled back. Mego feebly pointed at the entrance to the bank, where Officena stood after having time to recover from Team Go's offense. She now held what looked like two fire extinguishers in her hands.

The villainess squeezed on the handles of the canisters and let off monstrous streams of foam, striking all of the Gos. "Oh, no...uh…well, well, looks like the gang's all here," she said in disdain, though with a hint of uneasiness in her voice.

* * *

Seeing the Go family in a huddled mess and disoriented from her onslaught, Officena planned to take advantage and get rid of them for good. With the powerful fire extinguishers aimed directly at her foes, she deliberately advanced toward them and beamed in victory. "Time to put out the Go fire—HA, HA, HA!" she cackled furiously. As she started to press on the handles once again, a pair of legs flew in unexpectedly from the side and kicked her off balance. "Aagh, what…?"

"I think it's about time you clocked out, Officena," Kim Possible said as she deftly landed on her feet following her aerial attack. Ron Stoppable, who trailed closely behind his girlfriend, ran toward Team Go to see if they were all right.

"Kim Possible?! What are you doing here?" Officena screamed.

Kim quickly glanced at Shego, who could only stare at her in shock, then turned her attention back to Team Go's archnemesis. "I've got some things to take care of. And I've just put beating you at the top of my to-do list." Faster than Officena could blink, the young heroine kicked the extinguishers out of the villainess' clutches.

"You'll pay for that, Ms. Possible," Officena sputtered, taking out a pair of sharp-edged 18-inch rulers and wielding them like swords.

"Kim!" Ron yelled as he knelt down beside the Gos. Preoccupied, he inadvertently put his hand on Shego's shoulder and was rewarded with her knocking it away.

"Get off me, clown boy!" Shego barked.

"Oops. Heh…heh…sorry?" Ron nervously said.

"Ugh!" Shego rolled her eyes, then stood up right away and dashed toward the battling Officena and Kim.

Kim managed to parry the enemy's frenzied yet precise movements and even managed to throw in a few punches and kicks. But she didn't know how long she could keep up this pace, and she had a feeling her opponent could keep it up for a while. She didn't have a chance to find out, though, as she tripped and fell backward onto the ground. The redhead gasped as Officena stood precariously above her. Poised to strike the final blow, the villainess cocked her arms above her. "Looks like your time has run out, Ms. Possible."

From out of the blue, a green plasma blast shot through the air, struck Officena in the arm, and knocked her off her feet. Shego flipped and landed in front of Kim and faced the Clerical Mistress with a menacing scowl. "No one hits me with fire extinguishers and gets away with it," she snarled with a sinister tone.

"I'm sorry!" Officena unexpectedly wailed. "I tried to avoid you, but you were too close!"

"What?" Kim and Shego said simultaneously, confused at the villain's abrupt apology.

"I know you said I shouldn't do anything to you, but…" Officena panicked.

"What are you talking about?" a perplexed Shego asked as she held Officena up by her collar.

"I mean, after what you did, the least I could do is _not_ shoot a fire extinguisher at you, right?" Officena babbled.

"Okay," Kim said as she got back up, "_so_ not getting the point right now." She folded her arms and looked at Shego inquisitively.

"Don't ask me," Shego said dully, tilting her head to one side in bewilderment.

"Um, what are you going to do to me?" Officena whimpered.

Slowly, Shego's lips curled upward into an evil smirk, and the green woman raised a plasma-lit hand perilously close to Officena's head. Officena gulped in sheer terror.

"Shego!" Kim called out.

At that moment, Hego and Wego ran up to where Shego held Officena, leaving Ron and Igo behind to care for Mego. One of the twins pleaded: "Shego, don't do it! We can…"

"…take care of her!" the other finished.

"Shego, justice needs to be served, and this isn't the way to do it," Hego implored.

"They're right, Shego," Kim said diplomatically. "Officena needs to be behind bars, where she belongs—it's the right thing to do."

"Oooh, now I'll just _have_ to put her down—because it's the right thing to do!" Shego scoffed then snickered. "Motivational speaking is _so_ not your thing, Pumpkin," Shego said over her shoulder.

"Please, Shego," Kim pleaded softly, barely audible enough for Shego to hear.

Shego furrowed her brow. "Argh!" she growled as the flame went out from her hand. Shego then threw Officena outward, and the villainess landed in front of Wego and Hego. "Just get her out of my sight," the green henchwoman said. Hego wrapped his arms so tightly around Officena she could barely breathe, removing any chances of her escaping.

Her eyes fixed straight ahead, Shego was focused on one objective only. "Besides, I came here for someone else…" Immediately, she flipped over Officena and her three brothers and ran toward where Igo, Mego, and Ron were.

"Shego, wait!" a startled Kim yelled out and ran after her longtime nemesis, also flipping over Officena and the three heroes.

Shego roared as she instantly grabbed Igo by the collar and held a plasma-lit fist only a hair's width from her face.

"Whoa, Shego!" Ron exclaimed. "Aagh, what's going on?" he asked anxiously, flailing his arms.

"She…go!" Mego shot up with alarm, but winced and held his injured arm tightly. "This...is not…the time…for…a…catfight," he said between gritted teeth.

"Oh, this is more than a catfight," Shego threatened. "I have a score to settle with you, dear cousin."

Strangely, the only person who was not at all nervous was the person who had every reason to be. Igo looked coolly at Shego, their eyes locked in a deadly stare.

"Bring it on, dear cousin," Igo said with no trace of feeling in her voice. To her own surprise, Shego shuddered slightly.

Quickly regaining her calm, the green woman tightened her hold on her cousin to the point where the orange hero began to suffocate. As Igo struggled to breathe, Shego gave her a menacing scowl. "Not feeling so high and mighty now, are you?" she sneered.

At that moment, Kim tackled Shego from the side, knocking the wind out of her archenemy and causing her to release her grip on Igo. "Oof!" Shego grunted as her body forcefully hit the ground, with Kim landing on top of her and holding her arms down.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Shego yelled, struggling to get up. It was a pointless effort, though, as the redhead would not relent.

"Sorry to crash this family reunion, Shego," Kim said with a mischievous grin. "Hope you weren't planning anything special."

"Ergh! Get off of me!" Shego said as she fought against the heroine's grip. "This is none of your business!"

"Uh, uh. You don't think I'd let you go after Igo again, do you?"

"You—ugh!—don't know her," Shego protested.

Kim raised an eyebrow, wondering what Shego meant. "What…? Ack!" Shego managed to break free and flip Kim over her. In an instant, the green mercenary got up and took a ready fighting stance.

"Love to stay and chat, Princess, but I've got bigger fish to fry." Shego turned back around to head toward Igo once again, only to face Hego and Wego confidently standing in her way.

"You'll have to get past us first," Wego said in unison.

"Sorry sis, but we can't let you near Igo," Hego affirmed.

Helping Ron prop the injured Mego up, Igo stood just behind the three brothers—with a smirk that no one but Shego saw. The green woman frowned at the revamped Team Go, but then she slowly began to grin. Abruptly, she leaped over the entire team and swiftly fled the scene.

Kim stretched out her arm, as if trying to hold onto Shego, then slowly let it fall to her side.

"She'll be back," Igo said, first looking in Shego's direction, then in Kim's. "So, you're the famous Kim Possible."

"In the flesh," Kim replied. She smiled warmly at her boyfriend. "I take it you've already met Ron."

Ron smiled sheepishly. "Heh, yeah. Hey there," he said meekly as he looked across at Igo.

"Yes, of course," Igo smiled at Ron then looked back at Kim. "Thank you both for helping us."

"Yeah, guys, thanks for watching out for us," Mego agreed. "And by us, I mean yours truly," he teased with a grin. Hego sighed loudly, which did not escape the size-shifter's notice.

"Aw, no big," Kim said.

"Yeah, we always got your backs," Ron said.

"Booyah!" Wego said simultaneously as they both gave Ron enthusiastic high-fives.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" he exclaimed.

"Indeed," Hego said with a smile.

"Indeed," Mego muttered mockingly.

"Um, you guys okay?" Ron asked, noticing the tension between the two brothers.

"We're fine, Ron." Hego tried to reassure his friend.

"Yeah, just peachy," Mego said sarcastically.

"Oookay, moving on," Kim said, knowing better than to interfere. Looking at Igo, she asked, "So what does Shego have against you, Igo?"

Igo frowned. "I wish I knew, Kim."

Kim nodded, but inside she was skeptical. _Shego didn't try to take anything from the bank—or even any of the money Officena stole, _she thought. _She went straight for Igo, and Igo didn't seem to flinch—was she expecting it? This looks personal, and I think Igo knows more than she's letting on._

* * *

The conversation was interrupted by the beep of the Kimmunicator. "Hey, Wade," Kim greeted the young genius on the screen, but concern took over after seeing the troubled look on his face.

"Kim, you should see this," Wade replied. His face then was replaced on the Kimmunicator screen by a black-and-white image of a row of prison cells. "This is a shot from the security camera in front of Officena's prison cell, taken last night," Wade's voice said over the image.

Kim watched with interest, her brow creasing after only a few seconds as a figure wearing a guard's uniform and hat appeared from outside the screen's view and approached Officena's cell. "Wade, who's that?" she asked.

"I couldn't get complete facial verification, Kim, but…"

"What…?" Kim started in surprise as the mysterious visitor on the screen grabbed the electronic panel controlling the cell's lock and crushed it with…razor-sharp claws. "It can't be," the heroine said in disbelief. At that moment, the figure turned around to face the camera, and long, dark hair flowed out from under the hat. Although the stranger's face remained partly shielded under the hat's brim, Kim could make out pale skin and the full lips of a woman. The mystery woman then lifted her arm, aimed a taloned hand at the camera, and shot a blast of energy at the camera, hitting it head-on.

"Kim, what is it?" Ron asked as Team Go looked on.

"It's Shego," Kim said, looking up from the Kimmunicator. "I think she's the one who broke Officena out of prison."

"Shego?" Wego asked in unison. "Why would she?"

"Hellooo, because she's Shego! She's one of the bad guys now, remember?" Mego sharply chimed in.

"Wade," Kim asked, "why didn't anyone at the prison see this?"

"That's the interesting thing, Kim. No one knew this footage existed. It looks like someone hacked into the entire security system and was able to set all the cameras on a continuous loop. That way, anyone could get in and get whoever they wanted out of there in plenty of time."

Kim deduced, "And since she was wearing a prison guard uniform…"

"Nobody would have been the wiser," Wade finished. "Kim, I looked at the footage, and it took me a while to figure out that the cameras were on a loop. The good thing is that the intruder only bypassed the circuitry that controlled what we saw on the camera screens, not what the cameras were actually recording. But it _did_ take me an even longer time to dig up this camera footage. Whoever did this was a pro."

Kim furrowed her brow in concern. "A pro?"

Hego stroked his chin thoughtfully then looked at his teammates. "Pro or not, we'll have to worry about this later. Right now, we have to get Officena back to prison—the sooner she's back behind bars, the better."

"Speaking of Officena, where is she?" Ron asked.

Igo smiled. "I can answer that question," she said. In an instant, she turned toward a tree behind her and, with a swift wave of her arm, telekinetically yanked a tightly bound Officena off one of the higher branches.

"Aaaaagh!" Officena shrieked. "I haaaate heeiiiights!"

"Turns out Officena had some of her special adhesive tape on hand—enough to tie and hang her on a tree with," Igo said with a grin. Her eyes still focused on Officena's flying form as she made the Clerical Mistress soar higher into the sky until she was at least a hundred feet above ground.

"Puuuuut meee dooown!" the villainess screeched.

"Say 'please,'" Igo commanded.

"Puh…puh…pleeeeease!" Officena cried desperately.

"Since you asked so nicely," Igo said as she guided Officena—upside-down—toward the ground.

"I'm going to be sick!" Officena yelled as she felt herself begin to gag. She put her hands over her eyes in paralyzing fear…until suddenly, she stopped. Slowly uncovering her eyes, the villainess saw that she was still afloat, only a couple of feet from the ground. Still petrified, she could do nothing but stare at the ground below her. With a smirk, Igo put her arm down, letting Officena fall to the ground with an unceremonious thud.

"Let's go, Officena. There's no rest for the guilty," Hego said as he picked up the blubbering mess that was now Officena, then turned to face Kim and Ron. "It's great to see you both again," he said genuinely.

One Wego twin added, "So…"

"…true!" the other twin finished.

"Let's go, team," Hego said as he started toward the Go Plane. Wego ran ahead, waving goodbye to their friends on the way. Hego gave Mego a hard look. "Igo, can you take care of Mego?" he asked, still staring at his brother.

"I can walk, you know," Mego snapped.

"Uh, sure, Hego, I got it," Igo responded somewhat uncertainly.

"Good," the team's leader replied then looked at Kim and Ron. "Thank you both. It was good to see you again," he addressed them with a warm smile and a wink. The blue hero then turned and left, hauling Officena to the plane.

Mego glared at the back of his brother's head. Then almost immediately, he put on a smile and turned back to face a puzzled Kim and Ron. "Brothers—can't live with 'em," he said coolly then turned his attention back to the teen heroes. "Anyway, guys, I had a blast," he said. Looking at his wounded arm, he added, "No pun intended."

Igo also smiled and bade farewell. "It was nice to meet you both," she said, extending a hand.

Ron cheerfully accepted her hand with both of his and shook it eagerly—"The pleasure was ours, mademoiselle. And may I say that that mental thing you did with Officena was officially one of the most bombdiggity things I have ever seen. Ever!" Igo grinned.

Pulling Ron away from Igo, Kim apologized for her boyfriend's overenthusiasm. "You'll have to forgive Ron. He can get a little, um, 'affectionate' when it comes to the superhero thing."

"Oh, it's no problem," Igo replied, "I suppose I'll have to get used to it eventually."

"Ahem, sorry to interrupt your fanfest, coz, but I _am_ injured, you know," Mego cut in.

"You can walk," Igo retorted in jest, echoing her cousin's earlier comment, causing Kim to smile.

"Fine, fine, I'm going," he sighed. "See you later, guys," he said as he waved to Kim and Ron then turned around and made his way to the Go Plane. "Just hope you have enough cab fare for the ride back to the tower, coz!" he called out behind him.

"He might actually be serious," Igo said with a grin. With that, the orange hero extended her hand out to Kim, "It was an honor to meet you, Kim," she said, making Kim blush.

"It was an honor to meet you too, Igo," Kim said back in kind. As she shook Igo's hand, however, Kim's smile lessened—while Igo's sweet smile remained as fixed as it had been several minutes ago. After a moment, they released the handshake and, to her surprise, Kim never felt so relieved. With a nod to Ron, Igo turned and headed toward the Go Plane.

Ron and Kim stood back and watched Igo, her form becoming smaller with each step she took. Ron had a large grin plastered on his face, his eyes wide with wonder; on the other hand, Kim felt all the muscles in her face tense up and her jaw tighten. _Something is definitely not right here_, she thought.

"Did you see what she did, KP? How awesome was that?" Ron raved.

"Ron, did you feel anything when you shook her hand?" Kim asked, ignoring her boyfriend's praise for all things Igo.

"Well, her hands felt soft, I guess," Ron said unsurely.

"No, I mean did you feel anything…ooky?"

"Ooky? Is that even a word?"

Kim sighed. "You know what I mean—weird, strange…you know, ooky," she clarified.

"Uh, no, why? Did you feel something 'ooky'?" Ron emphasized the last word by gesturing his fingers as quotation marks, flexing them with each syllable.

"Something happened when I shook her hand," Kim said with a tone of concern.

"What?" Ron asked.

"It's as if…" Kim struggled for an appropriate description. "It's as if…I felt my blood go cold."

"That's weird, I feel fine," Ron said. "I think I saw your jacket in the car..."

"No, Ron, I meant that something about Igo isn't right. I don't think she's been completely straight with us—and with her family," Kim said seriously.

"But Kim, she helped her cousins, _and_ she stopped Officena. Come on, really, how bad _can_ she be?"

"I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous. But my gut tells me she could be trouble," Kim suspected.

"I hate to break it to you, Kim, but Igo hasn't done anything wrong," Ron said.

"I know," Kim responded, staring blankly in front of her.

"So how are we supposed to find out what she's up to?" the blond teen asked.

Kim's eyes regained focus as an idea came to her. "There _is_ someone who can give us some answers…"

Ron's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Kim, no…"

Kim looked at him sympathetically. "Ron, I think she's the key to getting to the bottom of this..."

* * *

**_The Go Plane..._**

"I'm telling you, it was Shego!"

Having been unceremoniously dumped onto one of the plane's seats, Officena faced a barrage of questions from Hego as his brothers looked on.

"You're telling us that Shego, our sister, helped you, our nemesis, escape," the strongman said incredulously. "And _why_ would she do that?"

"I don't know, I'm not a mind reader! All I know is that she came in and got me out," the villainess answered back. "It's not like she was the first person I thought who'd break me out of prison." She gave the team a fiendish smirk. "But what a pleasant surprise that was," she added.

Ignoring her little dig, Hego continued his interrogation. "Did you see her face at all?"

"Look, the last time I checked, Shego was only woman with dark hair and pale, green skin who could shoot beams out of her hands—that's what I saw, and that's all I needed to see."

Hego sighed. "Did she say anything to you?"

Officena's eyebrows raised as a realization came to her. "What's in it for me?"

"What?"

"If there's nothing in it for me, I don't see a reason why I need to answer any more of your questions," Officena sneered.

Hego's eyes narrowed, though he remained still. On the other hand, each of the Wego twins multiplied five-fold and surrounded Officena. "Because we can _make_ you answer them," all the Wegos threatened in unison.

"Tsk, tsk, boys," the villainess mocked, "you're the heroes, and you would attack a defenseless lady? For shame."

Knowing she was right, Hego called Wego off. "Stand down, guys," he said. The Wego duplicates disappeared, and the twins stood, dejected.

Mego looked distressingly at Hego. "You're not just gonna let her off the hook, are you?"

Hego looked downward for a moment then looked sternly into Mego's eyes. "As much as it pains me, Mego, we don't harm defenseless people, no matter who they are."

Mego glared at his brother, then stood up from his seat and trod toward Officena. Maintaining his sight on Hego, Mego barked, "The whole 'I'm so gallant' thing might be your style, bro, but it's not mine." With that, Mego increased in size and picked up Officena by the back of her collar. Lifting her so that their eyes met, Mego brought his face so close to the villainess' their noses almost touched. "Spill it, lady—and I mean that in the loosest sense possible. And just so you know, I'm not as easy to mess with as my brothers are."

Officena grinned. "Trying to scare me now, Mego? That's a new one," she ridiculed. For a moment, Mego thought about making her seriously regret her comments.

"Go ahead, hero, do your worst," the villainess goaded.

Mego needed to think it over, but his conscience, or rather, his ego got the better of him. _It's not worth it, Mego. Your family and fans would be devastated if someone as magnificent as you sank that low. _Eventually, Mego relented and not so gently dropped Officena back onto her seat and shrank back to normal size. Grumbling to himself, the purple hero marched back to his own seat.

The Clerical Mistress laughed. "Who knew you were all so weak?" Suddenly, the villainess was yanked out from her seat. "AAAGH!"

Igo, who had volunteered to pilot the plane while her brothers questioned Officena, had had enough of the villainess' antics. Putting the plane on autopilot, the orange woman got up from the pilot's seat and walked toward the back very deliberately. With one hand outstretched, she telekinetically threw Officena around the plane like a rag doll. From side to side and top to bottom, Officena's suspended body hit every part of the plane with great force.

"I'm not quite so nice when I'm mad, Officena. I've gotta tell you, I'm starting to get a little mad right now," Igo said coldly.

"Ouch! Ack! Hey! Ow! Stop!" the villainess pleaded.

"And trust me, you don't want to see me when I'm _really_ mad," she threatened in a low and dangerous tone.

"Okay­—oof!—okay! I'll talk—anything! Just…put...me…down!" the villainess begged.

Satisfied, Igo dumped Officena back into her seat. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

Officena, obviously smarting from Igo's stunt, shot a mean scowl at the orange hero but remained silent. Meanwhile, the four brothers could only stare in shock at their cousin, their jaws agape.

"Whoa," the twins said.

"Yeah, whoa," Mego echoed.

Regaining his focus, Hego spoke up. "Ahem," he said, addressing the villainess. "Let me repeat my last question, Officena—did whoever broke you out say anything to you?"

Officena gave Hego a strange look. "You mean Shego?"

Hego maintained his stance. "Did she say anything?"

The Clerical Mistress first looked at Hego, then at Igo. "Yes, I seem to recall her asking if I'd like to have a spot of tea and play a game of croquet." She looked at the two heroes, waiting for a reaction. When she received none, she remarked, "Tough crowd." The villainess conceded, "She didn't say anything at the prison—and she didn't want me to talk, either. She didn't seem like she was in a very chatty mood. But she did talk when we were outside, and did she ever talk."

"She said a lot?" Hego asked.

"No, but I remember asking her as soon as we got outside…"

_Following her rescuer closely, Officena looked back for a brief moment at the stone walls and barred windows of the prison she had just escaped. Facing forward again, the villainess decided she wanted some answers. "Look, I know it's you, Shego. Why did you free me, and what do want from me?" The mystery woman merely kept running farther from the prison, and a frustrated Officena could only fight to keep the stranger's brisk pace. "Shego! Shego!" Officena called out in between breaths, but to no avail._

_Only when the two ran deep into the woods nearby did the woman begin to slow down. As she came to a halt, the stranger turned around to see that Officena had stopped running at least one hundred feet back. For her part, Officena bent down to the ground, sweating and panting heavily. The mystery woman stalked back in Officena's direction, roughly grabbed her by the sleeve of her prison jumpsuit, and shoved her against a tree._

"_Ouch! What the…"_

"_Quiet!" the stranger snapped in a loud whisper._

"_What is your problem? First you free me, then…"_

"_I said QUIET!" the stranger warned, easily lifting Officena high off the ground._

_Officena stopped talking, immediately sensing that it probably would not be the wisest, or safest, choice to get on this woman's bad side. _

"_I'll say this only once," the woman began, "you will go about your daily life as usual."_

"_As usual? Like…eating breakfast? Brushing my teeth?" Officena asked nervously._

"_Like robbing banks and jewelry stores. And causing problems for Team Go," the stranger made clear._

"_Team Go? Why?" the Clerical Mistress asked curiously._

"_That's for me to know," the woman said without emotion. She continued, "When Team Go comes after you, I'll be there. I expect you'll be careful around me. If not…" The stranger's hold on Officena instantly became as tight as a vice, and Officena gulped in fear. Under the hat, the tight lips of the stranger suddenly widened into a sinister grin. In the blink of an eye, the woman disappeared, and Officena was left in the woods alone—and a free woman._

"So she never told you what her plan was?" Mego asked after deciding to stand up and listen to Officena's story.

"No, _that was for her to know_," Officena sounded off like some yokel, apparently mocking the mystery woman. Igo arched her eyebrow while Hego looked pensive.

"We need to find out what that woman has planned," the blue hero said authoritatively. At that moment, the plane began to slow down and descend. Wego, who kept watch on the plane's path, called out to the others, "We're here!"

Hego looked out the plane's front windshield, while Mego kept his eyes on Officena, and Igo kept hers on Mego. With a satisfied look on his face, the size-shifter smugly said, "It's back to prison for you, Officena."

Resigned, Officena sighed and deadpanned, "Home sweet home."

* * *

**_Middleton High School..._**

Kim plodded across the parking lot, carrying a pile of school books stacked so high she had to peer around them to make sure she wasn't heading straight for any of the school's thriving, and very hard, trees. It had only been several hours since her encounter with Officena and the Gos; in all the excitement, though, the redhead had forgotten about her academic obligations.

"Great. Two exams tomorrow _and_ a research paper that I haven't even started due in three days. _This_ is going to be fun," Kim grumbled to herself. Fortunately for her, at least, cheerleading practice ended early when Bonnie started freaking out after she thought she saw what might _possibly_ be a tiny blemish on her face. She then refused to even so much as say "rah" until she could get a hold of her fancy skin cream made in some French city with a hoity-toity name. _That "blemish" was probably was some sauce from the pizza she scarfed down at lunch today_, Kim mused with a smirk. _But with all this work, who am I to argue? If I start now, I might be able to meet Ron at Bueno Nacho for a little bit after football practice. The sooner I start, the…_

"Aagh!" Kim tripped over herself, and she, along with her books, took a hard spill to the asphalt. "Oof! What is with me and the clumsy routine today?" she said angrily to herself. Kneeling on the ground, Kim gathered her books together then looked up—she exhaled in relief as she saw that her car was only a few feet away.

"Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" she proclaimed as a bout of nostalgia washed over her. She sighed to herself. _I must be delirious_, she thought. As she regained her composure, Kim noted, "Finally, at least _something's_ going my way." The redhead scooped all her books at once into a jumbled heap and, taking a very deep breath, quickly rushed to her car before disaster could strike again.

Managing to make it to the car, the teen hero dropped her books onto the hood and searched for her car keys. _At least I don't have to worry about the Tweebs, since they already got a ride with Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, _she thought. _Now where are my keys? Okay, not in the bag. Not in my pockets. Not…in…my…_ To Kim's utter horror, her keys were nowhere to be found. "This…can…_not_…be…happening," Kim fumed.

Getting down on all fours, the redhead scanned the ground around her and restlessly searched for her keys. Little did she know, however, that someone had been waiting for her in the shadow of a nearby tree. Even as Kim kept up her hunt for the elusive keys, she was unaware of the figure now leaning idly against the tree. As the teen crawled up and down the area by her car, a familiar voice greeted her from behind.

"Looking for something, Princess?"


End file.
